Silver Diner restaurants in Newport News, Virginia Beach close

The remaining two Silver Diner restaurants in Hampton Roads have closed.

According to a media release, the outlets closed at the end of business Sunday and did not reopen Monday morning.

"Unfortunately sales never reached sufficient levels to make our stores in southeastern Virginia profitable. Facing higher costs, coupled with the monthly losses we were sustaining, we could no longer continue to operate these locations," says Robert Giaimo, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Silver Diner in a news release.

The chain, headquartered in Rockville, Md., closed a restaurant in Chesapeake in October of 2010.

Giaimo said employees at the two locations will be given the opportunity to work at one of Silver Diner's other 15 restaurants in the greater Washington, D. C. area, Richmond, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

The news release said company management will contact groups who have scheduled fund-raisers in Newport News and Virginia Beach to inform them of the closings. As part of its Eat Well, Do Well initiative to promote better nutrition, Silver Diner will distribute $8,000 in checks to 15 local schools during the month of January.

"It is never a good time to close restaurants, and we recognize that the first of the year is particularly challenging," says Giaimo. "The fact that we continue to do well in our other markets is encouraging but does not lessen the pain we feel for our managers and associates in Hampton Roads or for our guests who are losing a favorite